Rob Waterhouse believes Golden Eagle favourite Light Infantry is set to be shown up by the sheer speed of the superior Australian runners at Rosehill on Saturday.
The European raider has shortened in betting every day this week and touched $3 on Friday before getting back out to around the $3.50 mark as favourite.
Bookmaker Rob Waterhouse believes Light Infantry has been overplayed by punters in the Golden Eagle.Credit:Nick Moir
“I would think $4 could be available at the track for him tomorrow,” Waterhouse said. “I think our horses are better than theirs up to a mile, and we too often think it is the other way around. That won’t be popular in Europe, but that’s what I think.
“Their stayers have the edge, which is obvious looking at the Melbourne Cup over the years, but it doesn’t mean it should be the same in a race like this.”
Corporate bookmakers have been at pains to keep Light Infantry – which comes to Australian as a group 1 runner-up at his past two starts – safe as the money flowed for him, but Waterhouse pointed to the influence of Betfair in that price.
“He makes up the majority of money traded on Betfair, but I will be opposing him on his European form,” Waterhouse said. “He has been big prices in his two runs in France. One was in very fast time, but he seems to lack a bit of speed, looking at his form.
“Light Infantry might be a very good horse and I wish them luck, but he has to come to Australia for the first time in a big field, so I would think he will get to a much better price on race day.”
Light Infantry remains unchallenged at the top of the market with only the Peter Moody-trained Chain Of Lightning under the $10 mark in what is a wide-open betting affair. Chain Of Lightning has only tasted defeat once and was $6 in most places on Friday afternoon.
“It is one of those races where they want to back Light Infantry, Chain Of Lightning and Gypsy Goddess and that’s where it ends,” TAB’s Glenn Munsie said.
“You look at it and Light Infantry is the most popular of that trio, but Gypsy Goddess is the worst result for us given she is a $15 chance and has always had a good following.”
Moody takes three into the Golden Eagle: Chain Of Lightning, coming off victory in the Tristarc Stakes, I Wish I Win and Lightsaber.
“I think Chain Of Lightning probably should be unbeaten,” Moody said. “Jamie [Kah who rides her in the Golden Eagle] probably just rode her with a bit too much confidence when she got beaten [the start before the Tristarc].
“I think she will be better for that experience on her and will get it right on Saturday.”
Meanwhile, Joe Pride has decided not to use a tongue tie on Eduardo as he defeats his title from last year in the rich Nature Strip Stakes.
Pride was left disappointed after Eduardo’s effort in The Everest when he was the first horse beaten and toyed with the idea of tongue tie.
“He had one on before he came to me, and we tried it, but I don’t think it will helped him,” Pride said. “I can’t find anything wrong with him and he has always been such an honest horse which is what made the Everest harder to believe.
“I’m going into this race with a horse that is flying in Private Eye and was second in the Everest, and a horse that I think is going to improve in Eduardo.”
